Ali Vali - Love Match

"What did, sweetheart?"

"I love you, Emily. Don't get me wrong, I don't think of you as a trophy, but if I could win your heart, I could never win another game of tennis and it wouldn't matter." In books someone confesses love and the girl gives them a huge kiss, she doesn't break down like her dog just died, thought Parker as Emily started sobbing into her chest again .

"You could tell me that a million times a day and I'll never get tired of hearing it." Parker used the bottom of her t-shirt to wipe Emily's face dry after she got her confession out through her tears.

"Enough tears for one night, cute stuff. Let's get some sleep so you won't be tired at work tomorrow. Where're you headed in the morning?"

"A morning flight to Houston then Dallas, where I'll get to cool my jets for three hours before heading back. I took the shitty schedule this time so I could get off to watch the rest of your matches." Parker rolled them over so she could tuck the blankest around Emily's body. After a gentle kiss, Parker spooned around behind her and relaxed.

"How am I going to sleep when you go back to Florida?" Emily asked putting her hand over the one Parker had rested on her abdomen under her nightgown.

"That's easy, I'm not going back to Florida. At least not without you." Emily smiled in the dark at the answer and pulled Parker's hand up between her breasts. Behind her Parker smiled as well knowing that the answer had put to rest some of the demons in Emily's mind.

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"Sir, we found this in one of the drawers in the desk located in the study. We also bagged numerous newspaper articles on Ms. King and her playing schedule." The uniformed policeman handed the senior detective a bag with a letter in it. The note in the plastic sheaf was like many of the others Parker had received explaining her death because she was an abomination to God.

"This doesn't make any sense." Logan Sully muttered in a low voice after reading the note for the third time. He had listened to Parker's explanation of how she knew Gail and why the broker had attacked her.

"Why not, sir?" One of the officers that had accompanied Logan to search Gail's apartment asked.

"Because she attacked Parker King because the woman stole her girlfriend. Don't you think that would make Ms. Ingles an abomination to God as well? This time there was no threat spoken during the attack." Logan continued when the two policemen looked like they weren't following what he was saying. "Outside the restaurant, Gail Ingles runs up to Parker King and stabs her. But before she does, she say's 'Death to those who go against God,' or something to that effect. Two weeks later she does the same thing, only this time in broad daylight but dressed the same using the same weapon. I don't think the same person did this, but where did the Ingles woman get this note. If you compare it to all the others Parker King's coach showed me, I'd be willing to bet my paycheck they match."

"I'm thinking the bitch is crazy, boss. More crazy now than she was two weeks ago. The head shrinkers call that spiraling mental illness."

"All right, Sigmund, collect the rest of the stuff and let's head back to the precinct. I'm sure that Ms. King would like to know that the nut that sent all the notes is locked up. The sooner the better since I have money riding on the outcome of the Open this year. This Ingles woman could have cost me a fortune had she knocked Parker out of the finals."

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"Do you have some lunch money?" asked Parker as she helped Emily on with her jacket. The question made the pilot laugh and turn around as soon as her arms had cleared the sleeves.

"Yes, but I don't need any. The airline feeds us wherever we land, or in the air depending on the flight. What are you going to do today?"

Parker pulled Emily closer and kissed her forehead. She was worried about Emily after she'd had to wake her three times during the night from the throes of some nightmare Parker was convinced were about her. What she really wanted to do was ask Emily to stay home from work, but figured the blonde wouldn't appreciate the suggestion.

"Play tennis, watch some television then wait for you to get back. I'm going to miss you today, Captain," said Parker.

"Come down here, stretch." Emily pulled on the back of Parker's head trying to get her down to where she could reach her lips. "I'm going to miss you too. Promise you'll be careful and stay away from maniacs carrying knives until I get back?"

"I promise. You stay away from low flying birds and frisky air attendants. I'm the jealous type, so keep that in mind, Sparky."

"I'm not the one that keeps making the cover of the tabloids, Parker." Emily kissed Parker one last time before heading out to flag a cab. With any luck she would get favorable tailwinds and be back in time for them to go out to dinner.

The pilot was almost at the Virgin gates at JFK when her cell phone started ringing, and after rummaging through her purse found it before whoever was calling hung up. "Hello."

"Hey, Captain."

"What you miss me so much already, you're calling me at work?" Emily waved to one of the ticket agents who was walking into the building beside her. She almost sighed in relief when she felt the air conditioning the moment the doors slid open.

"It's true I miss you, but that's not why I'm calling. Remember this morning when you said something about me making the rag headlines every time the papers are printed?" asked Parker from the bench at the practice facility.

"Yes, I'm dating a chick magnet what can I tell you."

"Baby, are you at the airport?"

"Walking down to collect my crew and plane as we speak."

"Before you go flying off into the wild blue yonder, stop at one of the newsstands for me if you would." Parker could hear people around wherever Emily was when the pilot stopped talking and kept her fingers crossed that a big sense of humor part of the woman's makeup.

"You have got to be kidding me, Parker?" Emily looked at the front page of one of the national rags and saw herself staring back under a headline that read, 'Woman That Bagged Kong.'

The photographer had captured Emily in an unguarded moment as she cheered something Parker had done on the court. Despite the FDNY ball cap and sunglasses she had on, it was impossible not to tell who it was.

"I wanted to give you a heads up before you got teased about it."

"Thanks." Emily continued to stare at the photo and from her immobility started to get the customers around her to compare the picture to the woman looking at it with a strange expression.

"Are you mad?"

"No, honey, just surprised that anyone would do this. I'm nobody."

"Are you kidding me? You're the woman that bagged Kong. I think the mayor's going to honor you with a medal this afternoon when you get back." Parker felt better when she heard the laugh at the other end. It was a fleeting moment when she looked up and saw the detective from the day before walk across the court towards where she was sitting making her sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you about it this afternoon. Fly safe and I love you," said Parker before she hung up and faced the unhappy looking cop.

Emily wanted nothing more than to call Parker back and find out why she sounded so frustrated all of a sudden, but she was running late for her preflight checks. She was surprised no one was behind the desk at the gate when she got there so she just walked down the jet way to the plane to meet with the crew. Turning the corner, Emily could feel the heat in her face when every single Virgin employee in the vicinity stood by the door with a newspaper and pen in their hands. The blush only got worse when they started to clap and chant the mantra that had reverberated through center court the day before, "Kong."